Henry wiped off the blood that was dripping down from the wound on his head, letting out an exhausted exhale as he stared at the burning body of the Mobile Drone that has powered down.
Amari landed a few feet from Henry's mecha and the defeated machine, also tired and bleeding from a few cuts and bruises.
"(We did it, Amari. We defeated this machine with the help of all of you.)" he thought weakly to his dragon friend. Amari the furred fury let out a weak but proud croon and said, "(~Not a big deal for us. We are the unbeatable dragons, of course.......By the way, are you alright?~)".
Henry was about to answer her when another explosion from the downed machine erupted, causing the building roof edge they were standing on to suddenly began breaking and flaking. The weight of both machines made the edge crumble until the two began falling down. Henry struggled with all effort to get his mecha's hand off from where he pierced the Mobile Drone's laser with the blade, but it was stuck.
Amari roared in sheer terror as the two machines, along with Henry in his mecha, toppled forward and fell from the roof edge and began falling down while tumbling against the building windows.
Henry struggled with all his remaining strength to get his mecha's hand off from the Mobile Drone's laser, but it was still stuck there as both machines continued to fall while rolling. Having no other choice, Henry grabbed the ejection handle with both of his hands and calculated until the back side of the mecha was pointing upwards. When it did he pulled the handle, but the ejection didn't happen at the desired angle. Instead, Henry was ejected downwards towards the ground.
And then the machines exploded.
The ejection seat and parachute were brutally ripped off from Henry as the explosion debris and shockwave hit him as he fell. Time seemed to slow down for Henry, his ears and mind ringing as he continued falling down with the fireball wreckage nearing him.
'So this is it, huh? I'm gonna die like this. Was the trouble I went through worth it all?....Of course it was. Otherwise the suffering will still have continued. For me...and for them......I'm grateful now...even if I'm gonna die.' Henry thought to himself as he stared at the nearing fireball of flames and smoke in slow motion.
However, there was the shape of Amari and Akio piercing through the fire, diving towards him with outstretched front talons.
"(~You are not dying!~)" came the voice of Henry's dragon friend through the mindlink as scaled and feathered wings wrapped around his body.
Then the world around him went dark muffled.
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The immense ball of fire and metal frames came crashing down onto the base of the building. The burning frames were that of the Mobile Drone.....and Henry's mecha.
Then the fireball exploded in a massive blowup of flying parts and smaller fire-covered frame debris.
"HENRY!!!" all of the squadron, including Simon, yelled in despair. They shielded themselves and their dragons to protect themselves from the blast as quickly as they could, then looked up to where the fires have begun raging and the smoke spread when the explosion settled down. "No...no, it...it can't be..." Alice heard Elias say heartbrokenly.
Simon immediately piloted his mecha towards the fire once the explosion has simmered down to look for his son. Alice and the others followed the lieutenant to search for Henry in various parts of the burning wreckage.
["Henry!!!"] Simon called through the loudspeakers, searching around the smoke and fires. ["HENRY!!! SON!!!"] he called out again. ["Where are you, Henry?"] Alice called out, but was unable to get a sight of him or his mecha. ["Maybe he ejected before he could crash. Let's look above or anywhere else for him!"] Fernando suggested as they continued searching. They went looking through every piece of large debris for any signs of the pilot.
Until they found it.
Besides a damaged claw laid the ejection seat and parachute, both torn and burning. And, a few meters to the left, laid Henry's destroyed mecha on top of the Mobile Drone's burning frame. It was in complete ruin, with no signs of Henry anywhere. Simon, the father, let go of his mecha's controls and opened the hatch to climb out. After taking a few steps towards the heap of metal, he collapsed to his knees. All of the squadron saw this, including Elias. Simon sighed in depression, eyes watering and hanging his head down as he said, "No....It's my fault...I...I did this..."
The entire squadron that has helped Henry hung their heads as well. The dragons that were perched on top of their bonded humans' mechas expressed their mourning by growling in despair, feeling the same pain as the humans.
"Oh, son...I'm so sorry..." Simon whispered silently.
As if the heavens heard his grieving and repent of all he has done, the underside of a mountain of concrete and debris started to rise. From out of the pile came up the limping black figure of Akio, and from behind him was Amari. The furred fury unwrapped her wings from around her, stood up, and started to drag something out with great care.
That something.....was the unconscious body of Henry.
Amari gently placed the teenager on the ground and slumped down besides him, tired like her mate Akio.
"Henry!" Simon exclaimed and he stood up and rushed over to kneel down, throwing his pilot HUD aside before picking Henry's body. Simon placed the side of his head on Henry's chest to see if there was a heartbeat. The relieved exhale of the father told everyone that he was indeed alive. "He's alive...you two saved my boy!!!" Simon exclaimed in joy as he looked at both dragons.
This earned a weak yet teary-eyed smile from Amari, and a sigh of relief from Akio.
The squad friends from Henry, along with their dragons, began cheering at the news. Elias let out a gasp of surprise and immense relief, while Alice brought her hands up while smiling with joy that Henry has been saved. Simon reached out with a gloved hand and placed it on Amari's snout, then did the same with Akio.
"Both of you, thank you...for saving my son." Simon said with tears already wiped away.
Dr. Elias came out from his four-wheeled tank and walked over to where Akio laid. "(Are you two okay?)" Elias asked through the mindlink, to which the bonded night fury replied, "[~I think a few ribs of mine are broken, and Amari's shoulder is bruised. But in all other aspects, we're fine~]"
Elias nodded and turned towards the lieutenant and said, "Let us all get them to a safe place where they can get medical treatment...both the boy and the dragons".
Simon looked up at Dr. Elias, then nodded in understanding.
STAI LEGGENDO
How To Train Your Dragon 4: Near Horizon
Fanfiction"There were dragons when I was a boy. Some say they crawled back into the sea leaving not a bone or a fang to remember them. Others say they were nothing but folk tales to begin with. But maybe one day, a time may come where the dragons will return...
